Link to Tidewater's proposal for land application for $20 million.
At the May 15th Public Hearing in Rehoboth where the Commissioners set a date for the referendum on borrowing money for an ocean outfall pipe, a letter was read from Tidewater Utilities. It said they would be submitting a proposal detailing the cost of a land based application approach for Rehoboth Beach's Wastewater Treatment Plant's water. This proposal was just officially posted on the Tidewater website. At $20 million, it is much less than the recent estimates of $31 million for the cost of the pipe alone. Please read that proposal here http://www.middlesexwater.com/family/tidewater-utilities-inc/a-sustainable-solution-for-disposal-alternative-for-the-city-of-rehoboth-beach-e
Here are the highlights:
- A land based proposal using Rapid Infiltration Basins (RIBs), spray irrigation, and, a retention lagoon. The RIBs alone can handle the water demand for most of the off-season. The RIBs would need to be supplemented by the spray system for part of the year like warm-weather weekends. And finally, the RIBs, spray fields, and a retention lagoon would be needed to meet the treated water demand for about a two-week period in the summer.
- Tidewater already has the permits in hand to deal with much of this water
- This proposal would cost $20 million to build
- This proposal would save Rehoboth Beach $105,000 a year.
